our world is a strange place...
escape this mental prison...
encompassed by bright lights "fast life"
giant-like buildings leaving their...
shadows to cover up...
the true way life...
beyond the brainwashed...
right past the walking dead...
underneath the nice view...
there are lies..
should i pretend that i'm blind...
oblivious...
to the hardships going on in this life...
not anymore...
everything's beautiful when you don't look down
When I was a child Halloween had always been my favorite holiday. There was something so magical and wonderful about being able to put on a mask and become someone or something else for a day. Although the Dursleys never took me to Halloween parties or anything of that sort, every Halloween night I would sit in my cupboard and pretend.
I would wrap my tattered blanket around my shoulders and tie a crudely constructed paper mask to my face. Then I would pretend that I was a superhero as I closed my eyes and imagined myself flying through the air and slaying evil villains.
It wasn't until I found out what really happened to my parents that fateful Halloween night my love for the holiday disappeared completely. Ron and Hermione always try to be understanding but they don't understand one bit and part of me hopes that they never have to.
There are people in the world who wear masks everyday. Masks that hide who they really are, masks that hide what they are doing and even masks to hide lies and deceit. Professor Quirrel wore his own mask. Professor Snape wears a mask as well. Draco Malfoy wears a mask and even Professor Dumbledore has his own disguise.
I begin to see the masks more often now as I meet more and more people everyday, muggles, wizards and witches. After awhile it's hard not to see the world as one gigantic masquerade ball.
I love magic and Hogwarts and Ron and Hermione and Hagrid but a small part of me wonders if I would be happier if I could go back. Perhaps I would be happier if I still believed that magic only existed in the world of fairy tales. Back in my small, lonely world where I was a superhero and only superheroes wore masks.
October 31st Mon, 11:30AM
Lovegood Mansion, Front Lawn
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Khalida asked for what seemed the millionth time.
Khalida and I were standing out on the lawn in front of Lovegood Mansion waiting for Draco to join us so we could apparate to Godric's Hollow. The place definitely looked just as spooky during the day as it did at night. The whole place was riddled with hedge sculptures of some pretty scary looking beasts. I glanced at them nervously and each time my eyes fell on a grassy body I could swear it moved.
"Are you sure you can apparate Draco and I both there?" I asked as I inched away from a terrifyingly realistic sculpture shaped like a Dementor.
"I hope so," Khalida replied, "I went there with Gilgamesh a few times but I haven't been back there in years. The place could be completely different now."
"That's great. So you're telling me we could end up inside a wall or something?" I asked angrily and Khalida just shrugged in reply.
"Let's get going!" Draco called out as he came running out the front door towards us. I could see something shiny hanging down from his right hand glittering in the sunlight.
"Here's the plan," he stated as he stopped to stand next to me. "I've created specialized portkeys just in case we run into any problems concerning the Ministry or the Americans." He handed Khalida and I bracelets, each had several different shaped charms connected to them.
"Why am I not surprised that one of your plans would involve accessorizing," I muttered as I went to slip the bracelet over my wrist.
"Stop!" Draco exclaimed and all movement ceased immediately, "Don't put those on until I explain to you how they work."
"Each charm on the bracelet is actually a one time use portkey," he explained as he held his own bracelet in front of him, "Each charm will take you somewhere different. These portkeys are different then regular portkeys though because each has a magical signature."
"A magical signature?" Khalida asked in disbelief, "I thought we're trying to get away from the Ministry and the AWG not help them to track us down. Why don't we just use on regular portkey that they can't track?"
"I planned to do that at first," Draco replied with a smirk, "but then I thought a little game of chase might be better. It should keep them busy for quite awhile."
"Once you put the bracelet on," he continued to explain, "the first charm will only activate when one word is spoken and each of us has a different word. When the word is spoken aloud it will start the series. Each portkey will activate within five seconds of the one before, with the last one being untraceable and keyed to bring us directly back to the mansion. Khalida, your word is Ishtar and Jenny, your word is Shamhat." Khalida began to laugh and I gave her a questioning look.
"Sorry," she said sheepishly, "I just thought the words were rather comical."
"Why?" I asked in confusion.
"Khalida likes the story of Gilgamesh," Draco explained, "so I looked it up and chose names from that. Ishtar was a goddess who fell in love with Gilgamesh and then tried to destroy him when he refused her."
"That doesn't sound very funny to me," I replied slowly and Khalida chuckled loudly.
"It wasn't my word I found comical, but yours," she explained.
"What's so funny about my word?" I asked indignantly.
"Shamhat was the…Shamhat was the…" Draco stuttered out through his laughter.
"Village harlot," Khalida added with another laugh. My eyes narrowed dangerously as I glared at Draco.
"You…are…so…dead," I ground out as I stalked toward him.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Draco exclaimed loudly as he waved his hands in front of him in an attempt to ward me off, "Don't you want to hear what my word is?" My footsteps paused for a moment and I waited.
"Enkidu," Draco stated with a smirk and now Khalida was glaring at him.
"You and your dirty thoughts," Khalida muttered angrily.
"Wasn't he Gilgamesh's friend or something?" I asked in confusion, "What's wrong with that?"
"He was a wild man," Draco explained with an evil grin, "He ran in the forest with the animals until Gilgamesh heard of him and sent Shamhat to go and bring him to the city."
"That doesn't sound so bad," I replied in a thoughtful tone, "So what's the big deal?"
"Well," Draco said as his grin widened, "to get Enkidu to come with her, Shamhat shagged him for six days and seven nights."
"So you think I'm a harlot?" I asked in a tone of mock innocence.
"Of course not," Draco replied adamantly, "it was only a joke." I pretended to think upon his reply for a moment before nodding my head in agreement and Draco sighed in relief.
"I suppose it would have to be," I said with a loud sigh, "as if you could shag for six days and seven nights."
"What…I…who…what…" Draco's stammering was cutoff as Khalida walked over and grasped our hands tightly in her own.
"Let's go children," she said merrily. Draco was still stammering as she closed her eyes and we disappeared.
October 31st, Mon 12PM
Godric's Hollow
When Khalida had described Godric's Hollow to Draco and I the day before, she had explained that the place was pretty much a ghost town. As I gazed around the barren wasteland that surrounded us I realized that her description had been horribly inaccurate. Godric's Hollow wasn't a ghost town. It was barely recognizable as a town at all. The only evidence of any life ever existing in the place were stone walls flattened into the dirt and a mess of broken boards scattered all around us.
"What happened here?" I asked in a whisper. Khalida had apparated us into what seemed to be the middle of the wreckage, nothing but barren wasteland stretching out as far as I could see.
"Voldemort happened," she explained in a tone devoid of all emotion.
"This was a wizarding town," Khalida continued as she began to glide down the road, gracefully sidestepping the splintered pieces of wood and raised bits of stone, "When the Dark Lord attacked and killed your grandparents the people living here became so frightened that all of them left almost immediately."
"It was pandemonium," she stated in a soft voice. Khalida's footsteps paused for a moment and her eyes glazed over as her gaze swept the remnants of the town around her. "Witches and wizards clamoring to escape an unseen monster that had already been put down. They gathered a few belongings and apparated away."
"But what about their homes?" Draco asked in confusion as he made a sweeping motion with one hand, "Surely something had to have happened to cause all of this."
"Mass apparition was the cause," Khalida explained as she began to walk once again, Draco and I following closely behind her, "The magic caused by that combined with all of the wards around this place caused an implosion."
"The reflection of the killing curse probably was the catalyst behind the whole thing," she continued as she took one quick glance back at me, "There was some kind of reaction within the wards and then when everyone apparated at almost exactly the same time the wards crashed."
"They crushed everything," she added. Khalida stopped suddenly and turned toward us. Her eyes met mine and I shivered involuntarily. "There were a few wizards and witches who were unable to apparate so they were forced to escape on foot. They ran until they were outside the wards and then they waited and watched."
"What happened?" I asked curiously.
"Each of them described it a little differently," she explained, "but each description had one thing in common." She paused for a moment. Draco and I remained silent, waiting for her to continue.
"They said it looked like a mountain fell from the sky and crushed the houses," she stated in an ominous tone, "A gigantic black mountain that flattened everything and left the soil barren and infertile. Each of them said that there wasn't a single sound, even when the buildings were driven into the ground."
The three of us remained silent as we continued our trek through what was left of Godric's Hollow. Khalida floated along in front of us and I could hear Draco quietly grumbling to himself as he tripped over a hidden stone or rotted piece of wood every once in awhile. I stumbled along slightly behind him stopping every few feet to inspect a hollowed out foundation or a discarded item which the owners had surely forgotten about by now. Khalida's words continued to repeat in my mind. I tripped and fell to my knees as another voice popped into my head, telling me something that I had nearly forgotten.
"My friend, did you not call out to me? Why did I wake up?
Did you not touch me? Why am I so disturbed?
Did a god pass by? Why are my muscles trembling?
Enkidu, my friend, I have had a dream--
and the dream I had was deeply disturbing
in the mountain gorges...
the mountain fell down on us"
"You okay?" Draco asked as he helped me to stand.
"Yeah," I replied absentmindedly, "just tripped." He gave me a questioning look but I just shook my head and summoned up the most convincing smile I possibly could at the moment.
"How come the muggles never came here and built anything?" Draco asked suddenly as he grasped my hand and pulled me along toward Khalida.
"The Ministry put up muggle repelling wards," she explained as she pointed off into the distance, "They stretch to about five or six miles out of town. The magic here isn't quite…stable so it's best to keep everyone away."
"What about us?" I asked in concern, "Is it safe for us to even be here?"
"It should be," Khalida stated calmly, "but I wouldn't advise using any magic while we're here."
"But the apparition…"
"Only takes a small bit of magic for a vampire," she said, effectively ending my tirade before it could begin, "and most of that magic originated back at the mansion."
"I hope the bracelets don't cause any problems," Draco broke in nervously, "When the first portkey goes off it will leave a magical signature."
"What does it matter," Khalida replied with a shrug, "We'll be long gone and very far away."
"You got that right!" Draco exclaimed excitedly, his gray eyes twinkling mischievously in the sunlight. "I almost hope that someone does come after us just so you can see all of the places I've keyed into those charms."
"Should I be worried?" I questioned.
"Not at all," he replied with a smirk, "Every one of them will take you somewhere which should be completely safe, especially since we'll only be there for five seconds."
"The aurors might have a problem though," he stated as his smirk widened considerably, "Some of the locations might be a little…crowded."
Draco's reply worried me some but I figured he would never put Khalida or me in any danger so I just shrugged it off. If Draco wanted to play his little game then I would let him have his fun. Besides, it might prove to be quite interesting.
"Here we are," Khalida called out and my focus immediately shifted from Draco to the burnt out building in front of us.
The house looked considerably different then the rest of the rubble surrounding us. Instead of being completely crushed the front wall and one side wall were completely missing. The inside was a burnt out shell except for one small, round patch of grass directly in the middle.
"Is that where…?" my voice trailed off as I stepped past Khalida and knelt down in front of the tiny, green patch.
"It is," Khalida replied softly as she knelt down next to me, running a hand out over the grass. Her palm remained a few inches above the blades as if she was afraid to actually touch it.
"This is where they found him?" Draco asked in surprise as he knelt down at my other side. I felt a strong arm wrap around my waist and a moment later a thinner arm gently came to rest around my shoulders.
It was such a small thing, such a small, seemingly inconsequential thing. But that small circle of green blades meant so much more than what it seemed. If it would have been in a movie or a book I might have found it funny. It wasn't from a book or movie though, it was reality and that's what made it so profound.
There in front of me was physical proof of what had happened that night. A singular point where prophecies, fate, love, hate, life and death all met in one brief instant, causing so much destruction around them and leaving so little untouched. A small chuckle escaped past my lips and it soon turned into hysterical laughter.
"Jenny," Draco said in a worried tone but I barely heard him. I continued to laugh until my laughter turned to sobs which in turn became screams.
I quickly lunged at the patch of grass, attacking it as viciously as possible. My fingers dug through the blades until barely any remained but I continued anyway. I ripped up the soil. I reveled in soft dirt as it became uncomfortably wedged underneath my fingernails. I screamed again as felt strong arms pulling me backwards. I struggled against them, giving one final defiant yell before turning to sob into Draco's thick, black cloak.
"I couldn't help it," I admitted sadly as Draco looked down at me.
"It's okay," he stated as he patted my head softly, "It doesn't matter." Khalida moved over to sit behind me but whirled around quickly as a loud click sounded to our right. A flash of light blinded us momentarily but in seconds Draco and I were on our feet with our wands drawn.
"Isn't this lovely," a sickly-sweet female voice called out as another click sounded, followed by a second flash of light. I rubbed my eyes until the world slowly came back into focus.
Standing a few feet away was the shrewdest looking woman I'd ever seen in my life. She had dark brown hair and cold blue eyes that seemed to be looking at me with something akin to disgust. Judging by her clothes she was definitely a witch. Next to her was a slightly younger looking man with blonde hair, holding a camera. He gave a slight wave but quickly dropped his hand after a sharp look from the witch next to him.
"Pansy Parkinson," Draco drawled uncaringly, "How wonderful to see you again?"
"You as well," Pansy replied with an evil smirk as she walked toward us.
"Who could have imagined," she stated in a bored tone, "Draco Malfoy shagging Harry Potter's daughter." My eyes widened in surprise at her tone but Draco showed no reaction to her taunts.
"Aren't you here for an interview Parkinson?" he asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly. "Unless you'd rather us talk to a different reporter."
"Of course not," Pansy replied slowly, letting us know that she wasn't quite finished with her jibes yet, "I'm just surprised you'd let Potter's daughter within five feet of you."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked in a dangerous tone as I stalked over to stand in front of her. She was slightly taller then I was so my attempt at intimidation wasn't as effective as I'd hoped it would be.
"O nothing," she replied in a sing-song voice, "I just didn't think a pureblooded Malfoy would want to dirty his blood."
The next moment happened in slow motion and after it was over I just remember feeling extremely pleased with myself as I looked down at where Pansy lay on the ground, a thin line of red appearing underneath her nose. Draco quickly walked past me and helped her up a few seconds later.
"Why don't we do that interview now?" she questioned hesitantly as she pressed a clean, white handkerchief to her nose.
"Sounds like a grand idea," Draco replied merrily.